Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

Too much to do

Tuesday May 27 through Monday June 3, 2013Charlottesville, Virginia

Busy but not much fun.

It’s been a very busy week here in Lake Woebegone in Charlottesville and at Greenfield Mountain Farm.

Not much is picture worthy although I did get back in time for the last gasp of the pansies, one of my favorite flowers. But I’m too early for the raspberries and blueberries and too late for the strawberries. The azaleas are finished. The gorgeous hydrangeas just barely starting.

Mostly we’re just taking care of business.

And that means we are doing those doctor visits. He goes to the endocrinologist and I go to the Dermatologist. Endocrinologist tells him he needs a bone density test, dermatologist tells me I have pre-cancer lesions on my face and need the “blue light” laser. His will happen next week. Along with the dentists and optometrists and who knows who else. Mine happens tomorrow.

David goes to the Hematologist who schedules him for a Zometa infusion also next week. I go to the chiropractor who points out that my right shoulder is up much higher than my left and my right arm is hanging away from my body. He schedules me for 4 adjustments to fix the spinal problem that is probably the root of the off and on again lower back pain I’ve had. Most of this is probably left over from the stress of 2012. I had the second one today.

It is really nice to have a town where you do all the doctor visits with physicians who know you and you also know well all the places to go to get what you need.

I go to my favorite running shop for new running shoes. They listen to the tale of my back and 2011’s second broken ankle and put me in a different shoe from the one I’ve been wearing for the last few purchases. Same manufacturer, different model. I try it out running today and don’t like it. My knee doesn’t like it and neither does the ball of my foot. So the shoes went back today. I’m back to my standard Brooks Addiction shoes.

Making these chores even worse, the weather has been totally and absolutely horrid! It is acting like August not the 1st of June.

It has been 90-93 degrees everyday since the day after we arrived. Most of what we need to do other than doctors is outside. So we aren’t getting much of it accomplished. BUT we are leaving in two weeks regardless. I just can’t believe it is cooler in Florida than it is here. Why in the world did I stop off here on my way to New England I think. Then my friend in Vermont writes yesterday to say it is 98 there. WHAT?? I am becoming more and more worried about the weather. All these severe tornados and super storms, hurricanes and floods.

One good thing about the heat, I have to stay inside so I can clean out all of Winnona’s bins and get rid of things we don’t need or haven’t used. AND I can read. Something I don’t have nearly as much time to do as in my previous life when I read over 100 books a year. On the road about the only thing I read is whatever I’m reading aloud while David does the dishes and of course other people’s blogs. So I’ve read M. Scott Momaday’s The Way to Rainy Mountain and I’ve started Stephen King’s 850 page novel titled 11/22/63, a time travel novel about the Kennedy Assassination. It’s a library book so I’m going to have to hustle to get it finished on time.

Amid all this work and heat there is a bright spot.

We do see nephew Justin Walton and his younger daughter Elise. This is the most fun we’ve had since returning.

Elise likes strawberries as did my Carrie at her age. Carrie still likes them. In fact Carrie liked all berries and for years and even now sometimes was called Carrie Berry by folks who knew her. Elise was eating those berries with both hands and enjoying them all over her face too.

I’ve taken Ruby in to her doctor and he pronounces her in good health but I also have to take her to the body surgeon to get the ripped bumper from The Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge parking lot repaired. I get the estimate last week…….ouch……. took her in for the repair today. So she’ll be away from home for several days. Not much of a problem since after my dermatology treatment I have to stay in doors no sunlight for 48 hours. After that I’ll look all red and swollen and perhaps black faced. Don’t expect pictures of that. I’ll be stuck inside just as the weather breaks. When I get sprung, we are scheduled for rain. SIGH……………

Well my face will be a mess, but here’s a sweet face.

Can’t wait to get all these chores done and get back on the road. First destination will be Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. NINE DAYS TO GO!!

20 comments:

I wouldn't mind if you sent a little bit of that heat over to Minnesota. We're still stuck in the 50's with more rain. Can you just imagine what that will do to the mosquito crop this summer? I'm starting to itch already.

Then there's the ticks. I have to report each bite, where they glomp on to my skin, to the refuge ... just in case. :( I'm thinking of buying some stock in duct tape! Maybe I could make an ensemble out of it.

Happy to hear from you. Yes it was a medical / dental week for us when we got back home. Kathy had made all the appointments ahead of time. Hope yours turns out well.The flower pictures are wonderful. I am waiting on my poppies which bloom around the 1st of July each year. The song birds awoke us at 3 AM when it started to be light outside today. There is no robin nest in my tree this year, I wonder what happened to them. It is overcast and 46 degrees at 3:20PM and my home today. I am a Steven King fan after years of sitting in airports and the one your reading now is a great story. He could have taken that diner concept many many different ways. Enjoy it.

Sorry to hear the weather in VA is so HOT! It's been pretty pleasant here in SC, which blows us away, we've been expected to get toasted.

You are right, it's nice to be in a place where everyone knows you and you know where everything is. You'll be through all the work in no time and back on the road, nine days? You could do them standing on your head. :c)

Wonderful pictures of that really (really) cute grand niece (is that right?) with the berries. She's starting off life early as a vegan! :cD

The weather worries me to. Maybe I just forgot how bad it was last year and the year before and the year before ... but somehow, I don't think so. Mother Nature is trying to tell us something ... at least that's my interpretation.

Sound like the two of you are getting all the STUFF taken care of;o) Nice that you can do it all in a familiar location!! Won't be long and you will traveling and having lots of great stuff to write about:o))

We're worried about the weather too. We left Tampa trying to avoid the tropical depression/storm that is heading that way. However, I think it may just come up the east coast and get us here too. We're trying to figure out where to go.

Glad we could make it into the now famous blog! That certainly was a treasured time for me to see you guys and re-introduce the ever-growing Elise! Hoping to do it once more before you venture off into the Northeast!

love the little baby girl! hahaa berries... so cute. Well boo hiss on medical stuff and boo hiss on the HOT weather. We're in the low 80s but the humidity?! oh, man. AND guess what ... more storms and bad stuff Thursday ... sigh

Nothing "normal" about weather. Already in the high 70s here, seems too early, and the forest is tinder dry. I will soon have to go to my dentist in Prescott and it's in the 90s+ there. Yuck. Guess we better adapt.